Help with writing a book... similar to catcher in the rye?

Question

I'm trying to write a book (similar to the cynical tone of Catcher in the Rye or Perks of Being a Wallflower...obviously my book won't be as good as these ones but I'm just bored =D). I can't seem to think of a really good starting area for the plot.. I mean I have ideas that I want to happen in the middle of the story, but how do I get a good story started.. Do I introduce the character? Do I start with a tragedy? .... Help!!!

Answer 1

Stephen King says write 25% of the time and read 75% of the time! you can draw inspiration and ideas from what you read! So I would start by reading some other great books about coming of age. Here are a few:

Vision Quest by Terry Davis

The novella "The Body" by Stephen King

Jake Riley: Irreparably Damaged by Rebecca Fjelland Davis

Also here's some general advice I give people when they feel the need inspiration or are in a rut:

Sketch the details of your main potential characters start with looks, mannerisms, background, etc. Write the details down - or even draw them if you are a visual person.

Then take your main character or characters and imagine them in some new odd/out of the ordinary (out of your current work's context) places or scenarios – anything goes! Write down ideas on what would have to happen to your type of character or how they would react to the scenario you placed them in.

This may seem futile, but it will help you flesh out your characters further and give you insight into what you may want to happen to this type of character in a potential story. You may even come up with multiple story lines and can see if one of them just seems to be the best or easiest to continue

Strong well-crafted main characters can inspire readers to love your story as well as drive you to write a great story for these imagined beings to be in! :-)

This should get you going. Then you may want to write an outline of you story (a kind of synopsis).

MAKE SURE YOUR OUTLINE HAS A STRONG ENDING.

I have heard that John Irving writes his endings first, down to the last line, and works backwards. The idea of the outline is to give you goals as you proceed. Writing the ending first may give you the "spark" you now need.

Answer 2

I love both of those books. I'm sure you'll do a great job.

I've actually been working on a project similar to that myself.  

I decided to write the book as a semi-autobiographical work.  Therefore, I started with glimpses of my childhood and then moved forward, to display the loss of innocence that both Catcher in the Rye and Perks of Being a Wallflower deal with.  Maybe you would want to try the same?

Another great approach, in my opinion, is to begin with a character observing a situation of fact of the world, and simply begin by the character thinking.  That way, you get an instant glimpse into their mind, which, if it is well written (and pleasingly cynical) it can be a very good hook.

Good luck, and if you want any critiques, I would love to read your story!

Answer 3

The Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book, ever. J.D. Salinger admitted that the book was semi-autobiographical, and Holden Caulfield was based on himself with the narration of the story being his perspective on the world. That's why it was so phenomenal, because it was real. It's impossible to imitate something like that unless you really feel the same way Holden Caulfield does...in which case, help is recommended. If you try to write something "deep" like Catcher in the Rye but you're not actually experiencing it, it will turn out awful. I don't care if you're J.R.R. Tolkein, J.D. Salinger, Stephen King, or anyone, if you don't write what you know the end product won't be good.

But Im sounding too negative. Write! Write! Write! Writing in its own sums up the greatest thing about humanity, the art of words on paper can be as great as any musical symphony...it's simply magic when the words come out right. Write what you know, write a story whose narration or main characters reflect how you see the world. Are you a liberal, a conservative, morally sound, promiscuous, rebellious, statist, libertarian? Write it! Make it come out subtle, make it develop.

While reading Catcher in the Rye, for instance, it's impossible to grasp the complexities of Caulfields character but, by the end, the reader starts to feel like they know him. And thats the best thing an author can do.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Yuck - keep away from "Catcher", it's an idea that's been done to death.  I'm sure that many people come back to it when writing their 1st story, which explains why there are so many books that rwally bring out what's wrong with it.  Writing a book like "Catcher" is basically an excuse for a writer (even a talented one) to wax incessantly about everything the author finds fake.

Instead - go your own way.  Instead of connecting the stuff that happens, try to explain why they happen and what forces/characters will work for and against those events.  Imagine what would make these interesting characters.  If you've watched a few episodes of LOST or Heroes, (yes I know it's TV) then you know that terms like "beginning" "middle" and "end" are just artificial.  You can even start your story with these events and work backward.

Answer 5

Just start in the middle. Get that written.

Then carry it through to the end. Then read it and see if you even need a beginning. Lots of books start in the middle of things, and the characters and settings are introduced as part of what's going on. You may need to revise it a bit to do this, but you'll be revising anyway. Just get the middle and end written, since you have that.